Woody Allen's Memoir Released Under New 'Delighted' Publisher After Widespread Backlash
Woody Allen‘s controversial new memoir is now available.
After being dropped by its original publisher after lots of backlash, Allen’s memoir Apropos of Nothing was released on Monday without any prior announcements made by Arcade Publishing. The book was previously dropped by Hachette after criticism as Allen, 84, has been accused of molesting daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a child — an allegation he has repeatedly denied.
“The book is a candid and comprehensive personal account by Woody Allen of his life,” Arcade announced in a statement on Monday, “ranging from his childhood in Brooklyn through his acclaimed career in film, theater, television, print and standup comedy, as well as exploring his relationships with family and friends.”
RELATED: Woody Allen’s Controversial Memoir Dropped by Publisher Amid Protests
Jeannette Seaver, the book’s acquiring editor, tells PEOPLE in a statement that Arcade is happy to find a place for Allen’s thoughts.
“We are delighted to have had the opportunity to release Woody Allen’s autobiography,” she says. “In this strange time, when truth is too often dismissed as ‘fake news,’ we as publishers prefer to give voice to a respected artist, rather than bow to those determined to silence him. We firmly believe in upholding the right to Freedom of Speech in the world of publishing and, as a result, we’re pleased support not only this terrific book but also – and even more importantly – this democratic principle.”
Woody Allen
Hachette dropped the original book’s release after many of the company’s employees staged walkouts in protest and several prominent figures, including Dylan and her brother Ronan Farrow, slammed the publisher for giving him a platform. Dylan and Ronan also alleged they were never contacted to offer any consultation on the book.
“Hachette’s publishing of Woody Allen’s memoir is deeply unsettling to me personally and an utter betrayal of my brother whose brave reporting, capitalized on by Hachette, gave voice to numerous survivors of sexual assault by powerful men,” Dylan, who is the adopted daughter of Allen and former girlfriend Mia Farrow, wrote in statement.
“For the record, I was never contacted by any fact checkers to verify the information in this memoir, demonstrating an egregious abdication of Hachette’s most basic responsibility,” she added, a reference to her brother’s 2019 book Catch and Kill, which was published by Hachette.
In his own statement, Ronan wrote that he “was disappointed to learn” about the news and claimed that Hachette “concealed the decision from me and its own employees while we were working on Catch and Kill — a book about how powerful men, including Woody Allen, avoid accountability for sexual abuse.”
